


Something Like a Chorus

by Mars_Bars



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: AU where max does her photo jump in episode 4 but things go wrong, After BtS, During BtS, Even during Fairwell too, F/F, Gen, Multi, Polyamory, and eventually around the time of LiS, big ol mess of relationships and cuties
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-08-07 04:21:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16401236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mars_Bars/pseuds/Mars_Bars
Summary: "For the third time in her life, Maxine Caulfield was 13, and she had a feeling this time wouldn’t be the best."Max fudges up time again and has to deal with the consequences. Fortunately, the consequences this time around seem to have less to do with apocalyptic tornadoes and more to do with finding herself in the middle of three really amazing cuties who might just have a thing for her and each other.A long-form poly fic with spoilers from all of both LiS and BtS with cuddles and some customary drama.





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 

 _September 28th, 2008~_  
  
For the third time in her life, Maxine Caulfield was 13, and she had a feeling this time wouldn’t be the best.

She blinked as the flash from William’s camera faded, as the Price’s living room from 5 years ago came into view, as her best friend took her arm off of Max’s shoulder to grab the camera from her father, the insta-photo camera already sprouting out the snapshot that had brought her back here.

“I hope the flash didn’t scare you, Max.” William waved the photo around, trying to set the drying chemicals as before taking a peak and smiling. “This one's a keeper.”

Max heard the words but she could barely focus on them. Even as the environment around her became yet another form of time-manipulated and time-fucked reality, it still felt unreal, like there was no possible way that the universe could have allowed her back to this time just to screw things up again.

She turned to look at the unremarkable wooden door that lead to the Price’s garage. Not even 5 minutes ago, Chloe Price, her best friend, her captain, her partner in crime, had died behind that door, and Max had been the one to kill her. Max had screwed everything up, and that’s where all her mistakes had led her.

 _No,_ she suppressed a sob that rose in her throat, _Not this time. I’m not here to screw anything else up. I’m here to save Chloe. I’m here to fix what I’ve done, even if… even if…_

Even if William Price had to die again.

“Max! Tell him!” The 14-year-old Chloe interjected the brunette’s train of thought before a look of concern crossed her face “Whoa, hey, you look totally pale. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just… Uh, yeah, I’m fine.” The words just came out of her mouth automatically, as if they were the only sounds she could have ever made at this point in time.

It was only a matter of time before the home phone rang, in that instant, Max knew that it was over, that time would take its intended path and leave her best friend without a father, without her best friend, and with years of emotional shit that she would have to wade through and hammer into until it nearly consumed her. But she had to be sure, she had to make she or whomever else or whatever else couldn’t stop this again.

While the elder Price searched for the keys he always seemed to lose track of, the photographer took the polaroid from the countertop and found herself in front of the warm fireplace. She took one last longing look at the faces of the two joyful and innocent girls captured in it, and with a deep breath, dropped the photo into the flames.

As soon as the flames licked at the paper, Max felt the blood begin to rush out of her nose. She had almost been expecting it. As she wiped it away she noticed the color. Deep red, rich and dark, almost black. She felt something shift in her vision, as if that drop of blood was draining her surroundings of its colors, of all the red and copper hues that poisoned the edges of the room, and of all of the blinding light that came from each of the windows. It was like a photo developing in its oil bath, changing from just a bunch of chemicals on a sheet to something more representative of what was actually captured.

“And no Chloe and Max wine tasting session.” William’s words were muffled, but they were still enough to catch her attention, knowing they would be some of the last words William Price would ever speak.

“Dad!” Chloe half sighed in exasperation.

“Don’t blow it, because tonight your mother promised to make us her world-famous salmon surprise with chocolate cake for dessert.” William glanced over his shoulder at the 13-year-old who felt utterly powerless in this moment. “Max, you’ll be here too, right?”

“She’s never leaving me!” Chloe gleefully replied for her.

“That makes all of us.”

 

Maxine Caulfield pressed her back against the wall next to the phone and just… cried. She let the tears fall down her cheeks as her nostril dribbled with blood. Any moment now she would be gone and her 13-year-old self would return to wonder why she was bleeding and sobbing, but before that could happen, Chloe, her captain, her angel, came out of the kitchen with concern written all over her face.

“Max, you are being so fucking strange, like you’re never gonna see us again.” Suddenly she didn’t sound like the carefree girl she had abandoned 5 years ago. She sounded like the 19-year-old woman she had been falling back in love with these last 4 days, the one who had fear and anxiety laced in her voice so often, no matter how much she tried to hide it.

“Chloe, I’m so sorry…” Max continued to hold back the sobs that threatened to surface with every breath. “I tried to make things different for you… I-- I did try…” She bit her tongue to stop from blabbering out everything she knew, everything about William and time travel and even about what the other Chloe had asked her to do… She said the only thing she could… “I’m sorry…”

Chloe tilted her head, “I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about, but come on.” She grabbed the time traveler by the arms and pulled her forward off the wall. “You _have_ made things different, like my whole life. You’re my best friend. I’ve got you and a great family. What’s to be sorry for? We’ll be best friends forever. And when we grow up, we’re taking over the world.” She announced her last declaration with her signature snark and Chloe confidence.

Max shook her head, not because she didn’t want to believe in what the taller girl said, but because she had to tell her something before this version of her, with all her innocence and all her happiness, was taken away and ripped apart all over again. “Listen, whatever happens, I want you to be strong.” She wiped the last of the blood away from her nose, “Even if you feel like I wasn’t there for you…” She took the girl’s hand in her own, “Because I will never abandon you, Chloe. I’ll always have your back. Always.”

Max calmed the feelings in her chest, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, then waited…

“Max, um, that’s really sweet and all, but I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about. Are you sure you’re alright?”

When her eyes reopened, Chloe’s eyebrows were raised in a questioning formation and her head was tilted like a confused puppy, her long blond hair pointing straight down, indicating the direction of gravity. Max just looked back at her, her jaw slightly agape, equally if not more confused, but about a different subject altogether.

“I, um…” she stumbled over her words and sniffled, “I’m fine. I promise.” The brunette took a step backwards and closed her mouth, trying to make sense of what had happened, and more importantly, what hadn’t happened yet. “I uh, maybe just need some water, I’m a little lightheaded.”

“Oh crap, Max, yeah, your nose is bleeding too. Hold on, let me go get that for you.” Chloe turned and rushed towards the cupboards where the family’s glasses were held.

 _What’s happening?_ Max thought as she walked over to the dining room table to sit and give her brain a chance to catch up, _I don’t understand, the last time I photo-jumped, I was back in the present by now. I only just talked to Chloe and… and… I don’t know, everything suddenly just feels wrong._

Max looked around her, she could see everything clear as day, or at least as clear as possible through her still watering eyes. She could see her best friend filling a glass of water from the sink without feeling like she was missing any details; she could see a blue jay land on the fence in the Price’s backyard and sing a short solo before taking flight to do the same on the neighbor’s porch. Whereas the last time she was here had felt like she was entrapped within the moment she came to occupy, this felt like she had not only slipped into the timestream, but woven herself into it somehow, making her free to move around, but at the same time feeling less free than ever...

 _Maybe I just need to wait,_ she tried to calm herself, _I’ve been fucking around with time so much and I still don’t know how any of this really works. Maybe I’ll jump back in a few seconds; maybe I have to calm myself down before I can go back…_

The distressed time traveler shook her head, _No, last time I was excited when it happened, I thought I had just saved Wil…_ She stopped herself short of completing the thought. _I-I was jumping around with Chloe and I could barely control myself before I was taken back to…_ that _reality._

 _Breathe, I need to breathe._ She struggled to get herself to take a breath, feeling that her nerves were getting out of control. The shaking of her legs in the chair was nearly vibrating the whole table. _I probably just need to wait. I can’t panic now, I can’t let that happen. I’m here to save Chloe and I can’t do that if I freak out and mess things up again. Just wait and s--_

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a glass full of water was placed on the table in front of her. Chloe sat down in the seat beside her and scooted the glass close to the edge of the table for Max. “There you go, Max. Come’on, drink up buttercup.”

Max gave her partner a weak smile and lifted the glass to her lips, intending to just take a sip, so she was surprised when she nearly gulped the whole thing down in one go, but at least it helped subdue her tension a little bit.

Chloe just watched her calmly, her eyebrows raised a little at the speed at which Max drank, but if she was anything but concerned for her friend, her face didn’t show it. “Now, really Max, what’s going on? You can tell me anything, remember?” Her last statement was phrased as a question, but it didn’t sound like it. It was clear and confident all the way through. Max had almost expected her to waver or fade on her last word, but this wasn’t the Chloe who did that. _Her_ Chloe did that, but this Chloe was fully intact, confident, positive, and full of almost blinding hope. This Chloe hadn’t gone through all the trauma and heartbreak that would have turned her into Her Chloe.

At least, not yet…

 _But it will happen. In a few hours, Joyce will walk through the front door and destroy her life. In a few days, I’ll stomp on the pieces at her own father’s funeral when I escape to Seattle, where I’ll be able to ignore her for years and years and just abandon her, for what? My own blissful ignorance? Chloe will be left on her own--_ was _left on her own, right? This already happened, I just needed to fix my mistakes and put things back to the way they were this time, to stop myself from sending Chloe to her death… fuck._

“Max, please, talk to me here,” Chloe interrupted her thoughts yet again, “I can see something’s up. You’re shaking all over and you’re never this quiet unless you're sick or in trouble. You can tell me anything, I’m not gonna hold it against you.” The blonde repeated.

Max tried to cast her memories back to this day. She remembered trying to tell Chloe she was leaving, somehow, someway, but she never got it out. She was never able to tell Chloe she was going to elope without her. She was only barely able to choke it out on the cassette tape she left behind for the heartbroken girl, and that certainly didn’t help anything. _But I can’t change that,_ Max thought, _Can I?_

A battlefield began to form inside her head. Within moments, it was like two competing armies waged war on each other in order to determine which course of action the photographer would take. _If I tell her, maybe things will turn out better, maybe she won’t be so hurt, maybe I’ll keep in touch, maybe maybe maybe… But I can’t do that! I just tried to make things better for Chloe and look what happened! She ended up paralyzed and in a fucking wheelchair! Are you crazy, Max? You can’t let something like that happen again, you have to keep things the same this time!_

Max groaned and put her head in her hands. _But this isn’t like stopping William. That was a huge change that had huge consequences, this is a smaller change that could really… Save Chloe? Right, because apparently I have a 5-second memory and don’t realize that was what I was trying to do last time and I can’t do that to her again, urgh!_

“Max…” Chloe started.

“I’m leaving.” Max said the words before she could stop herself, silencing her doubt, if only for a moment. “I mean, we’re leaving. Me and my family.” Half her brain immediately when to damage control, begging her to stop talking, to rewind and take that back, anything that stopped her from changing time this way, but the other half was stronger, and urged her to keep going, keep talking, keep telling Chloe what we should have said all those years ago in the first place. “My dad, he got a job in Seattle, and we’re leaving really soon...I’m sorry…”

The silence hung in the room for a moment, but in Max’s mind, there was an all-out shouting match. She couldn’t do this, she had to fix this, she was going to fuck everything up _again._ She felt the tears well up in her eyes again as she reached her hand out in front of her, ready to rewind...

“In three days, right?”

Max stopped in her tracks and looked at the girl who had spoken. It was like with just those words her thought’s shouting and fighting had gone silent, and she just had to stare back in disbelief. “What? Y-you knew?”

Chloe sighed and leaned forward onto the table, “Our parents do talk, you know? I overheard them talking about it when your mom and dad were over for dinner last week, and once I cornered my Dad to ask about it, well, you know he doesn’t really keep secrets well from me.” She gave the girl a sympathetic smile.

Max could have died of relief in that moment. Chloe already knew, which meant she couldn’t screw up time too badly, it would… just be a different way she was told, maybe making things just a bit softer when everything had to happen.

She flinched a bit when the young Chloe pushed her in the shoulder, “Come’on, dorkmeister. It’s not the end of the world. It’s not like you’re moving to Taiwan or something, it’s just… Seattle…”

Max had to withhold both her sadness and relief when she lifted her head up to face her best friend, ”I know, but… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, and I promise I’ll call and visit and maybe I’ll move back one day or-or…” She trailed off, she knew she shouldn’t make promises her future self--her past-future self?--couldn’t or wouldn’t keep.

“I know you will, Max, I know.” Chloe grabbed hold of her hands and just held them in an attempt to comfort the smaller girl.

Max tried to bite her tongue to stop from asking anything, but her curiosity got the better of her, “How… How do you seem so okay with this?”

Chloe gave a halfhearted chuckle, “You’re not the only one who can travel, Mad Max. When Dad let the cat out of the bag, he made me promise to let you tell me yourself, and if I kept that promise, we could drive up in his car and come to visit you in Seattle for the whole of winter break!” Chloe shook her hands with excitement. “Apparently it was your mom’s idea, and, um, oops, I guess you just gotta tell dad you told me first, please?”

Max swallowed. She knew this vacation for the Prices was planned, her mother had told her about around Christmas time that year, but she knew it wasn’t going to happen, not in the least because they wouldn’t have a car in a few hours… Or William… Oh god.

“I-I promise Chloe,” Max choked out the words, aiming to keep from sobbing anymore. Even though she was able to tell Chloe about moving, she knew she couldn’t confess to her what was about to happen to her father. “I’ll one hundred percent do that, and it’ll be an awesome Christmas with you.” She smiled, doing her best to appear genuine.

“Now come’on, Maximus,” Chloe stood up and tugged at their still connected hands, pulling the brunette to her feet, “I know you hate these kinds of conversations, so let’s just, do something else.” The two ended up face to face with each other, the hand holding now really providing comfort for them both. “I wanna spend every minute we have together having fun.”

Max took a breath, “Me too, Captain Chloe.” She said composing herself, remembering the playful nicknames the two had for each other.

“And I have just the thing to get you in the spirit, Long Max Silver,” Chloe declared as she started to pull Max towards the stairs. “Nothing gets your heart pumping like a big… BOOM!” Chloe mimicked the explosion with her arms before giggling and running up to her room, expecting Max in tow.

For her part, Max did start to follow, but she stopped just short of the first stair. Instead of climbing, she looked back at the spot next to where the telephone sat on its small table. She shook her head; it felt like she had gotten so into the character of being her 13-year-old self that she had almost forgotten she wasn’t supposed to be here anymore, right?

The last time she had traveled to this point in time, she had come and gone already. She had stood on that spot with Chloe and be transported back to the present. Or, at least, some version of it. Now she was still waiting for something to take her back, but it felt like somehow that wasn’t happening. Why? What had gone differently? A sense of dread grew inside her. Had something gone wrong?

 _I don’t get it,_ She thought to herself, _I changed what needed to be changed, I should be back by now, right? Maybe I do have to get excited or something, like elevate my heartbeat? I don’t know, it’s pretty high right now._ Max felt her blood pump as she continued to worry.

_What if… What if I’m stuck here? What do I do then? Do I just have to keep doing everything the way I did it the first time? Did I stop myself from returning because I told Chloe that I’m-- that past me is leaving?_

Max heard Chloe shout for her to hurry up, and in a dazed state, Max felt her body obey and move up the stairs. She felt more panicked than ever, but felt like her only choice was to stay the course, do as she did 5 years ago, and hope and pray that things went back to normal, that she would blink and find herself in _Her_ Chloe’s arms.

But she couldn’t shake that one thought, the one that hunted her and whose implications could be tragic.

_Something has gone deeply wrong._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey there! so this is my first thing i've written in a long while that isn't just straight up mindless smut, so I hope its not gonna be too rusty. fingers crossed I can still do long form. and yes, it will get softer and cuter after a bit, we just got deal with all the drama and possibly dead people first. LiS is heavy, whatcha gonna do?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1: With all the Devils and Heavenly Creatures**

 

_April 38th, 2010, 9:99pm~_

“How many times do we have to do this, Dad?”

Chloe Price sat up in the backseat and looked out to the crowd, seeing only familiar faces. Mom and David, Wells and Victoria, Mr. and Mrs. Amber, all of them just staring at her with contempt, arms crossed, disapproving looks turned up to eleven as they sat on the lawn of Blackwell, watching the poor performance put on by Chloe and her father. Their car wasn’t even a car, it wasn’t really anything. Just four chairs in 2 by 2 grid, with her father in the frontmost left one, putting his hands on a steering wheel and his feet on petals that didn’t exist.

This show wasn’t like The Tempest, despite her still appearing as Ariel in her scratchy blue-feathered outfit; her heart wasn’t racing and the scene wasn’t planned in any way that she could tell, and they certainly were not entertaining the audience.

The raven next to David cawed at her in disapproval.

“Hey,” Chloe spoke groggily, “Maybe you should let me drive. You always do it wrong.”

“That was one time!” William said, only turning his head back to look at her for a split-second before returning his eyes to the non-existent road in front of them, “When are you going to let it go?” His hands never left the invisible steering wheel.

Laughter came from the crowd, but when Chloe looked to find the source, only the same stern faces glared back at her. She quipped back “Considering that ‘one time’ got you killed, I think it might take a while.”

“Chloe!” William spoke in a chastising tone that he rarely ever used, “That was uncalled for… Though, I do understand why you think that way.” Just as quickly as his anger came, it dissipated again, fading back into the reassuring fatherly tone she remembered him by.

“God, can’t you at least stay mad at me for 2 seconds, Dad? Can’t you at least pretend that you weren’t a goddamn perfect father? It’d make the whole ‘letting it go’ thing a hell of a lot easier.”

Her father stayed silent for a second, then sighed. Then he let out a chuckle, as if laughing at his own thoughts or maybe just the absurdity of the situation, “Is that what we’re supposed to do here? Pretend? Heh…” He reached over to turn down the volume on the intangible radio before returning his hands to ten-and-two. “Well, Honey, I’m afraid I’ve never been very good at pretending, or acting for that matter. You can check with your mother about that, the whole night I was planning on proposing to her, she could read it on my face. At least, that’s what she says. But heck, you know I couldn’t keep secrets from you either. One look with the puppy dog eyes, and all that ‘pretending’ went out the window!”

More laughter from the crowd, who only looked even angrier when Chloe focused on them. David, in particular, looked like he was about to blow a gasket at the mere mention of William proposing to his girlfriend. Joyce herself, however just stared down into her lap, seemingly holding back tears.

“Maybe you need someone else to play pretend with? I seem to remember a girl that you played pirates every day with when you were younger…” William mused.

Chloe sat back in her seat with a thump. “No, we’re not going there, Dad. You are not bringing her into this, I’m not gonna--”

“Hey, Chloe”

The punk turned to her left to investigate the source of the interruption, even though she already knew exactly who is was. Staring back at her was a skinny, brown-haired, pre-pubescent girl in pastel clothing, who looked at her with signs of guilt and shame in her eyes.

Chloe just shook her head. It wasn’t too uncommon for Maxine to show up in her dreams, but she always seemed to just repeat the same things, the same lines she spoke to Chloe before she abandoned her for the bright lights and rainy skies of Seattle. “What are you doing here?” Chloe asked, “I don’t think this scene really calls for a Deus Ex Maxhina like you right now.”

The ponytailed girl just sighed but continued to look back at Chloe, gazing into her eyes while her hands sat calmly on her lap. “I came to see you, Chloe. I came to try to help.”

“Came to see me? That’s rich. You haven’t ‘seen’ me or even fucking talked to me for the last two years, asshole! Why the hell would you choose now to change that?”

Max shifted her gaze down towards her lap and frowned, “I’m sorry, Chloe, but I can’t ex--”

“Yeah, yeah, can’t explain right now, can’t explain why, too worried about ‘what might happen’, you’re sorry this is all happening, yadda yadda,” Chloe said, repeating the excuses Real Max gave to her the last time they were face-to-face. “Save it. I don’t have any time for this.” She reached for the handle and opened the door, stepping out before slamming the door shut.

“You should always be able to make time for friends, Sweetie,” her father interjected from the driver's seat.

The punk crossed her arms like the audience beside her, feeling the blue sequins and feathers of her costume rub against her skin. “She’s not my friend.” She cast her eyes away from her scene partners and towards the rear of the stage.

“Of course she is!” Dad replied, “You mean to tell me you’re not friends with the person you shared countless afternoons and sleepovers with? That you don’t like the person you made your first mate? I mean, I know I’m a little gullible, but even I can’t believe that for a second!”

“Well, believe it, Dad,” Chloe said half under her breath. “That’s what happens when someone abandons you when you need them most.”

“Chloe, please, is there something I can do to make it up to you?” the dream Max pleaded.

The punk just stood there for a long minute, chewing on her cheek and staring a hole in the starry backdrop of the play. She already knew what she was going to blurt out, but she wanted to withhold it to give herself every opportunity to think up something else to say. Maybe something snarky or offensive, or really just anything that would get Max off her case, but instead she just sighed.

“Really, you wanna know what would work? Just show up. Just show up in my goddamned life and I’d probably take you back in a heartbeat. I miss the fuck out of you and it makes me really uncomfortable that I do. It makes me feel even worse that I feel it wouldn’t be up to me to take you back, I would be more worried about getting you back myself and making sure you don’t reject me again… god damn it.” Chloe spat, “Just show up Max, and you probably have the easiest road back to my heart of anyone, no matter how sick to my stomach that actually makes me feel…”

“In order to grow, Chloe, we must be able to tolerate discomfort.” Her dad turned around to look at her as he delivered his advice. “That is one of the key pieces of being able to develop as a person.”

The girl chuckled, “You mean it’s not finding the girl of my dreams, skipping school with her, taking the blame for her, and then sleeping with her only hours after she finds out her parent’s lied to her whole life?... Shit, that sounds way darker when I say it out loud. I swear it’s not that bad, Dad.”

“Whatever you say, Sweetie. I believe you, lover girl.” Her father winked at her before turning back to fasten his seatbelt and face the dashboard. “Now get back in, dear, we got to get the two of you back home before it gets too dark out. I still need to change the headlight on this thing…”

Chloe sighed, but somewhat reluctantly opened the rear passenger’s side door and slid into her seat next to Max, who smiled at her.

“Actually, Mr. Price, I think I should get out here. I can’t go much further with you right now,” Max turned to the girl who sat beside her, “But I promise you, Chloe, I will see you soon. Much sooner than you think.”

With that, the brunette left the car and exited stage left, waving to William as she faded into the shadows.

“Well,” William said as he restarted the car, “Guess it’s just you and me kiddo.” He pulled forward and back onto the imaginary road in front of them. “You’ll have to tell me all about Rachel and you’s bedtime adventure another time, though maybe that’s not the type of story you want to share with your old man.”

“Dad!”

He laughed, “Don’t worry, Sweetheart, I won’t push. I just want you to promise me one thing before we leave though.”

Se tilted her head, “What’s that, Dad?”

“Remember exactly what I told you. In order to grow, we must be able to tolerate discomfort. Remember that, alright.”

Her vision went began to fuzz as the scene began to fade out, “I promise, Dad.”

The raven cawed.

 

* * *

_May 9th, 2010, 6:11 am~_

The sounds of the morning flew in the open window like an aubade to the heavenly deeds that had taken place in the bedroom, as sunlight shone upon the covers belonging to the one Rachel Dawn Amber.

Rachel Amber couldn’t tell exactly what time she awoke, as her most recent memories faded seamlessly into her wonderful dreams from her time asleep, which faded into flawlessly into the sinful, lustful, incredulous yet absolutely authentic actions she and the girl beside her had taken last night. Her heart still pounded just thinking about it.

Objectively speaking, Rachel Amber was really not in the most comfortable position. She was hot and sweaty, something the sunlight on her covers was not helping with, and her muscles were either sore or just in pain from sleeping in such an unnatural position, with her arms and legs intertwined with the troublemaker she shared her bed with. The worst was the kink in her neck that came from sleeping not on her soft, way-too-expensive pillows, but from resting on the hard, admittedly boney shoulders of her sleeping partner.

But subjectively, not an ounce of that shit mattered to the blonde performer. If cloud nine were a thing, Rachel felt like she was on cloud ten with Aphrodite herself smiling down on her and praising her deeds. She knew it wasn’t going to last, especially with the revelations of last night weighing heavily on her mind, but for as long as she felt the high of this chemical-emotional wave, she was going to ride it.

Her train of thought was interrupted, however, by the sounds of yawns and moaning coming from the woman who had caused it. Rachel grinned at the back of her head, reminiscing how those moans had sounded in the early hours of the morning last night, her velvety tones only acting to light a fire under Rachel as she worked all parts of her body in order to please her rebel.

 _Her_ rebel, she was _H_ _ers_. Last night had made that more than official.

Finally, the girl beside her turned over in the bed, her hair somehow still perfect in Rachel's eyes, to face its other occupant.

“Chloe Fucking Price,” Rachel said, looking into the blue eyes of her lover.

“Actually, my middle name’s Elizabeth,” The girl responded with a sleepy-but-signature smug smile, “But Fucking might be more appropriate right now. You think I should get it changed?”

Rachel giggled, feeling an almost uncharacteristic sense of giddiness rise in her. Man, even with the worst possible timing, Chloe just had this magical touch that could turn her emotions, and her body, to mush. _No,_ Rachel thought to herself, _It’s not magic. It’s a skill, a trait, a confidence she possesses that she’s worked on for years, maybe without her even realizing it. To call it ‘magical’ would be to minimize all the work and hard times she’s put into it._

“Hmmm, yes, I think you should get it changed,” The thespian replied, “I think ‘Chloe Fucking Amber’ has a wonderful ring to it, don’t you?” She winked at the girl still enveloped by her covers.

The taller girl looked back at her with an almost questioning look on her face.

“What?” Rachel asked, “Too soon for that?”

Chloe Price scooted over to her, closing the distance between them and placing a soft, brief kiss on her lips, “Maybe a little bit, but I do need someone to push me at times, so maybe not?” Their lips reconnected, moving more slowly and passionately this time.

Rachel moaned into the girl’s affections and just felt her body immediately try to eliminate the remaining space between the two of them. Her hands began to blindly grope at Chloe’s chest, clinging onto any sensitive flesh they could find, as the sheets around her fell off the two girl’s bodies, exposing their frames to the soft bedroom air.

Rachel nearly whimpered like a puppy when Chloe began to pull away. She didn’t want her to leave her lips, she didn’t want the feeling of her rebel’s hot breath on her skin to fade, and she didn’t want to feel left behind, not even for a moment. Rachel countered her by clasping her arms around the girl’s waist, pulling her back and smothering her in more kisses.

The punk just snickered in between kisses and smirked playfully at her girl, “Someone likes to be a little grabby…”

“I’m just expressing ownership over what’s mine,” Rachel moved to her neck, where she left soft pecks and tiny nibbles across the skin.

Chloe rolled her eyes, “Ownership? Shit, I don’t remember signing any contracts. Was that before or after I made you scream?”

Rachel just responded by biting down harder on the left side of Chloe’s throat, before listening to the heavenly moans that resulted from her actions. She felt her girl shiver and shake beside her as she kissed the small welt that was already forming tenderly. “You said ‘I’m yours’ over and over again last night, I’m pretty sure that counts as you relinquishing possession to me. What, are you telling me I can’t take you at your word, Price? Cause I’m not sure I can have such an arrangement with someone who's sooo dishonest.”

“I said that I’m yours, yes, not that I’m a doll you can put on your shelf and play with,” Chloe returned through heavy breaths, “But I still meant it, I’m yours, just like you meant it when you said you loved me, I assume.” She gave Rachel a sly smile and winked.

“You said it first,” Rachel quipped, feeling defensive even though she really didn’t mind being the first one.

Chloe threw her hands up in innocence before using them to prop herself up so she was leaning over Rachel. “You know what, I did, and I don’t have any shame about that. I love you, Rachel Amber, and that means I’ll do pretty much anything to protect you, even if it means meeting my dealer who seems more pissed off than usual in a junkyard.”

Rachel sat up, a little caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, though she knew it had to becoming, given the importance of the subject and how cautious they had to be about it. “You’re really willing to do this for me? Help me find my…” She paused and swallowed, “Help me find what I need to? Even with all the trouble and crap that’s probably going to come with it?”

The punk waved it off, “Hey, I’ve been in enough trouble already this week, and I’ve basically been wading through crap my whole life until… Until I met you, so yeah. I’ll help with anything you need, Rachel. I’ll do it for you if you need me to. In fact anything that you could come up with, I’ll handle it.”

The thespian sighed, half in relief and half in adoration. How the fuck was she so lucky as to get Chloe Price to fall in love with her? “I know you will.” She leaned in and gave the girl one last quick peck on the lips.

After a few more minutes of snuggling, and at least 3 more escape attempts, Chloe was finally able to get out of bed. Rachel watched her as she put on her clothes and grabbed her things that had been thrown, in some cases literally, across the room. Rachel had often caught herself staring at the taller girl’s body when she wasn’t looking in classes or walking down the hall or, god forbid, when she was forced to wear those tiny shorts for the physical education class they shared. But now, she just stared happily and with contentment, and even when she was caught, she just stuck her tongue out at the girl that was Hers.

“So,” Chloe started, “Gotta meet Frank at the junkyard, give him his money, and get the information we can out of him. That’s in…” She glanced over to the clock on the nightstand, “Three, three-and-a-half hours? So I think I gotta sneak home and grab some tools and shit from the house before I go there. I’ll text you the deets as soon as I get them, sound good?”

Rachel nodded, still covering her body with the bedsheets. “And I’m going to meet you there; I want to be there when you question Frank. I need some answers from him.”

The punk nodded slowly and swallowed, shaking out a bit to clear her nerves before putting on her jacket. “Alright then. I, uh, think I might need to just head out the window. After all the things that happened, I’m not sure I want to talk to your parents any more than I have to right now.”

“I’m with you on that.”

Suddenly, a vibrating sound game from the windowsill, where Chloe’s phone sat. The girl quickly walked over to it and picked it up, and almost immediately dropped it on the floor when she unlocked it, hitting the carpet with a _thump_.

Rachel sat up and looked at her with a mixture of confusion and a little bit of panic, “What is it? Is it Frank? Did he say something?”

Rachel looked at the taller blonde girl, who suddenly looked faint, “Whoa, Chloe, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Her rebel seemed to ignore her as she reached down for her fallen mobile device, her hands shaking, “Fucking hell, I think I just did.”

Chloe took a breath and stared at the screen. Her eyes communicated her disbelief at what she was reading to Rachel, who leaned closer to the edge of the bed. Chloe bit her lip and started to read aloud.

“Hey, I’m in town and need to talk to you. Meet me at American Rust junkyard at 10. Phone’s about to die. See you then.”

“Was that Frank?” The performer asked, confused and concerned for the girl in front of her, “That doesn't sound like how he would word that…”

“No.” Chloe swallowed and put the phone back down on the windowsill, before shakily turning to Rachel. “That was someone I haven’t fucking heard from in years. That was Max Caulfield.”

 


	3. White Noise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who's left comments and especially EHC for finally getting my ass in gear and getting me to finish and post this chapter. You’re the absolute best.  
> Added tags for violence. This part’s gonna get a little rough.

**Chapter 2: White Noise**

 

_9:37 am~_

“GAHHH! Mother fucking dick-licker!”

Chloe cursed as the pain shot through her arm. Her nerves and muscles twitched while the tingles from the electricity encompassed them. She’d accidentally crossed the two terminals of the frankentruck’s new battery and it repaid her in kind for her transgression. The make-shift mechanic shook out her arm instinctively, trying to shake out the shock from her system and regain feeling, all while continuing to curse out the inanimate box of acid and metal. Finally feeling the pain begin to leave her, she decided this was as good a time as any to take a break from fixing up the pale, beat up, piece of crap pickup, and sat down on an aging barrel across from it while massaging the muscles in her left arm.

The morning up to this point had been a mixed but-mostly-distressing bag. After the pleasant and amorous morning escapades with Rachel and the not-exactly-welcome surprise of Max trying to re-announce her presence in Chloe’s life, she tried and failed to sneak into her own house undetected. She should probably count her lucky stars that it didn’t end in a shouting match with either her mother or the Invader Zimid, especially given the tense environment and events of the past few days. From her getting suspended from Blackhell to going off on David and essentially threatening to never come home again, it was really a miracle an all-out shouting match didn’t break out.

The newly blue-streaked punk sighed as she brought out her pack and her lighter, quickly lighting a cig before standing up and walking over to the toolbox she had gone home to retrieve.

Despite how important her discussions with Mom and David really were, Chloe found herself unable to focus on them for too long. Her thoughts instead kept drifting back to the brunette that had text her earlier that morning…

_Hey, I’m in town and need to talk to you. Meet me at American Rust junkyard at 10. Phone’s about to die. See you then._

Two years of radio no phone calls, no meetings, and near radio silence spare for the occasional text basically saying that Chloe wasn’t cool enough to hang with her and suddenly she’s here. In person, in the flesh. _At least,_ Chloe thought, _She will be if this isn’t just a fucked up prank._

Chloe didn’t want to think about that though, if she has to, she’ll burn that bridge when she crosses it. She quickly reconnected the truck’s battery terminals, holding the cables farther apart this time, and slammed the hood shut, hearing the who front end creek unevenly afterwards. Hopping into the driver's seat, she sighed and placed her cigarette on the dashboard, looking over the screwdriver in the keyhole and crossing her fingers. Her hand was already gripping the shaft when she just happened to see movement out of the corner of her eye from right in front of the vehicle.

“Max?”  
“Chloe?”

She stepped out of the open door of the truck to find herself face to face the smaller, younger girl.

“...”

“...”

Chloe swallowed, trying to bring some moisture to her dry mouth. ”Where the hell have you been?”

Max’s hair was short. A lot shorter than Chloe could ever recall it being. Her long brown locks that Chloe remembered always had to be kept up in a ponytail were nowhere to be seen. In their place was a short, tomboyish cut that couldn’t have been longer than a few inches at its lengthiest. Her almost-butch-like look was exacerbated by the fact that half her hair was standing on end, as if Max had been running her hand through it in stress or anxiety, and by her outfit which consisted simply of dark jeans, chuck taylor’s, and a zipped up leather jacket that looked a size or two too big for the petite girl.

That was another reason why Chloe’s mouth was dry. She had to admit, Max actually looked pretty damn hot in that outfit, especially with her tousled and yet perfectly messy hairstyle. _Okay, so she’s definitely, um, ‘matured’ a lot in the last two years. Or at least some part of her has,_ the punk thought to herself as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. _Fuck, I’m so weak._

Chloe bit the inside her of her cheek, _Damn it, Chloe, get it together! You have a girlfriend you just promised a hella lot to and you can’t just be reigniting old crushes with Max like this… besides, it was pretty obvious she never felt the same way anyway when we were young..._

Max opened her mouth, then closed it again, looking like she was trying to think of something to say. After a moment, she instead reached into her jacket pocket and brought out a little baggie and a lighter. “Can-- can we talk over a smoke? You can use some of mine.” Max took a little rod of something out of her bag and offered it to the taller girl.

Chloe looked at the blunt in between Max’s fingers for a second, starting to question if she would take her on her offer, but her arm seemed to move automatically to take it from her. It seemed Chloe’s body was unwilling to turn down free weed… or just any weed she could get really.

“Max Caulfield the stoner. I would have never guessed…” Chloe said, watching the brunette light up her joint. “Then again, you always were a pretty big hippy.” She chuckled.

Max exhaled her first breath of smoke as she looked up at the sky, “Yeah, well. It’s helpful for dealing with pain and shit, I’ll give you that.”

Chloe raised an eyebrow at make as she brought her lighter up to light her own blunt. “Pain and shit? Really, what shit did you get into in Seattle while I was stuck here in Bumfuckville that was so terrible? Too many hipsters at your favorite Starbucks? Your favorite art gallery too crowded? The weed wasn’t ‘al dente’ enough?”

The short haired woman sighed, “Look Chloe, I know a lot has gone on the past sev-- I mean, the last two years, but I’ve had shit to deal with too. Can we not play the ‘I had it worse’ game?”

“I’m not trying to play anything, Max, not sure I can say the same for you though.”

Max sighed and took another hit, before putting a hand to her temple and rubbing, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” She spoke calmly, but there was an edge hidden in her voice. One that was threatening to creep out and do some real damage.

Chloe could feel the knife starting press against her chest, but she refused to back down. “I mean why the fuck are you here and where the fuck have you been? Let me not mince my fucking words and just remind you that you abandoned me for two years, right after my dad died, and then left me for dead with no calls, no visits, no texts, not a word from you. So why are you here if not to get something from me or play me like a fool? Because that’s all everyone else in my life wants to do with me.”

The brunette tapped the ash off her blunt as she furrowed her brow and stepped forward towards the frustrated punk. “I don’t want to play any games with you, I promise. And if you think I was trying to mess with you before, I swear that wasn’t what I was trying to do. I wanted to see you, I wanted to call you every day to try to help you because I understand what you were going through, but I just couldn’t because… because I was afraid I would screw things up in some way that I can’t fix! I was afraid--”

“Bullshit.” Chloe interrupted, taking a step forward and closing more of the distance herself, “If you were so afraid of messing up-- whatever this is, then you would have done something… anything that--”

“I’m trying to explain that I couldn’t!” Max raised her voice at a startled Chloe. Shit, she never remembered her getting anything more than irked before. “I thought I had to do the things I did the way I did them the first time or else… Or else I don’t know what could have happened! I get it! I was wrong to think that way at first, I was wrong in thinking the world would end if I did things differently, I get that now…” The girl took a shaky breath, seemingly reigning in her anger a bit. “But I can’t change that. I’m not going to because I’m not even sure what I’m changing anymore.” She threw her blunt to the ground in frustration, stomping it and its flame out of existence.

Chloe looked back at her bewildered, “Max, what the hell do you mean?”

“Chlooooe! Junkyard Queen! Where you at?”

Rachel’s singsong voice cut through the air like a knife, and startled Chloe as she looked behind the truck to find the source.

“Ah, there you are,” Rachel shielded her eyes from the sun as she walked towards Chloe in her own olive drab jacket, a union jack patch displayed prominently on left, “Holy shit, your hair!” She reached up and ran her fingers along the punk’s new blue streak, adoring it. “That’s so… badass! Turns out Chloe Rebel Price does have an eye for style after all, or at least-- Oh! You must be Maxine.”

Rachel didn’t even skip a beat, Chloe noticed. While the punk was still trying to recover from the massive shift in tone that accompanied the girl’s arrival, Rachel just continued to use her perfect gracefulness as she stuck her hand out for Max to shake and introduced herself. “A pleasure to meet you, I’m--”

“Rachel Amber,” Max said, looking absolutely dumbstruck as she took their hand in hers, like she couldn’t believe that the person in front of her was actually there... That they were actually Rachel? Wait…

“Oh, so Chloe told you about me?” Rachel cocked her head and looked back at her newly ordained girlfriend with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, no. Max, how do you know Rachel?” Chloe asked.

Max closed her mouth which had been agasp since Rachel entered the scene “Well, um, I…”

“Have you been stalking me or some shit?”

“No! I swear! I just… know…” The flustered petite brunette shook her head and gestured with her hands, like she was trying to find any way to back out of this conversation.

Chloe felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Rachel giving her a knowing smile and a wink. She knew that look. Rachel had a plan, and it probably wasn’t the most ethical of plans.

“Gosh, Chloe, you never told me Maxine was so _adorable._ ”

 

If it wasn’t held in place, Chloe could have sworn her jaw would hit the floor. A thousand worries rushed her head, but she couldn’t do anything but just stare back at the blonde. Did Rachel just try to start flirting with Chloe’s Deserter-in-Chief right in front of her girlfriend, or did she just not understand the magnitude of how bad things were between her and Max?

Max’s face seemed to show that she also lost all semblance of composure, her open mouth matching Chloe’s, red blush covering her freckled cheeks.

Rachel just giggled and winked towards the bluenette before turning back to Max.

“Oh Max, I’ve heard a lot about you, and you seem to live up to the legend,” she continued to flash her deadly smile and giggle as she moved around Max, “Chloe hasn’t been able to stop herself from tripping over her words when she mentions you, and I can hella see why. Girl, you got something else…” She sends a sly wink when their eyes meet for a split-second.

“I-I-I… uhhhhhh,” the brunette shook her head, “No, that’s not what… that’s not--”

“Please, don’t be so modest. I’ve seen grown men who couldn’t pull of leather half as good as you do.” Rachel put and arm on Max’s shoulder, pushing her ever slightly back towards the pile of wrecked cars, cornering her, the Leo looking ready to pounce. Rachel had a few ways of manipulating people into giving her what she wanted, Chloe knew, and flirting with them was probably the most tried and trusted method. That was enough to get the punk to close her mouth and let Rachel do her thing, at least for now, though she doubted how effective that would be. Max wasn’t ever into girls, right?

The thespian continued her dance with the obviously shaken girl, continuing to press her backward with her presence. "So, do you come here often, or are you here for something special?"

"I'm not... I mean, I, uhh," Max cleared her throat, "I'm here for Chloe, I mean. I need to tell her... things."

"Well then, she's right here. What do you have to say?"

The brunette looked over Rachel's shoulder at Chloe and bit her tongue nervously, "I think I need to tell her privately, it's, uh, kinda a lot to take in and--"

“Fine then! If you don't wanna talk, that's fucking fantastic. This is a pretty bad time bad time anyways.” Chloe said, feeling done with this whole situation.

“Chloe, please.” Max pleaded, raising her voice, “I want to tell you… I need to explain to you--”

“Max, you’ve waited two years to say jack and shit to me, I think you can wait a little while longer.”

“Dog, Chloe! That’s not it, I want to explain why to you i fucking--”

“Oh shit! Looks like a catfights goin’ on! Let’s see you bitches claw, huh?” Frank’s raspy, drunken sounding voice cut through the air like a knife and startled Chloe, as she immediately jumped back from Max and looked to the entrance of the junkyard. The RV Frank showed up in the day before was nowhere to be found, leading her to wonder how he got so close without any of the three of them noticing. Max and Rachel both took steps back as well, unhelpfully positioning themselves behind her.

Frank threw his hands up seemingly in disappointment, “Oh what, don’t let me s-s-stop you. It ain’ everyday I get free enertainmen’t. Why doncha keep that shit up?”

He looked almost wasted, his eyes were half open and tinged with red, his words were slurred and half-mumbled, and his posture was all over the place. One second standing up straight, the next looking like he was about to fall flat on the ground. Chloe usually could get a read on him, mostly because his two default emotions seemed to be ‘pissed’ and ‘generally displeased with everything,’ but whatever he was on masked those emotions. She couldn't tell if he was confused or angry or even if he really knew where he was, but the longer Chloe’s pause seemed to go on, the more his hand seemed to twitch and shake.

Chloe choose to remain silent.

He sighed, “Fine, fuck it. Let’s talk important s-shit instead.” Frank raised and shook his hand as if to signify either that ‘important shit’ was a spooky topic or that it had no real meaning at all. “I thought I told you to come alone, Price. Not to bring your whole posse with you.”

Chloe cleared her throat, “Well, you’re early, Frank. I guess I didn’t really have time to prepare. What’s the occasion?”

Instead of responding, he cleared his own throat and hocked a loogie into the dirt beside him. “The occasion? I’m here to collect, Price, you know that. I’m sure as ‘ell not here to play any games. Just hand over the fuckin’ money and let’s get this over with.”

The punk turned and looked at Rachel over her shoulder and met her eyes. She nodded and confirmed that she wanted to go through with the plan they went over that morning. She caught a glance of Max behind her as well, groaning and holding her head uncomfortably. Somehow, it looked as if her nose had started bleeding, as a streak of crimson dribbled from her nostril. Chloe knew she couldn't worry about that now, but made a mental note to remember her positioning in case she had to turn and run.

“I did just what you asked, we just need to ask you some questions, Frank.”

“No.” he responded bluntly.

“Frank, please, it won’t take long and it’s really important to me.”

“Is that so?” spoke a voice that made every hair on her neck stand straight up.

The man who she had last seen beating the piss out of Drew, Damon Merrick, stepped out from behind the truck, his gaze settled firmly on Chloe herself. The look in his eye reminded her of a predator, hungrily tracking its prey. “Chloe Price.” He sauntered around the space, before placing himself beside Frank. “I would say it’s an honor to meet you, but I’ve never been a very good liar. I do honor a job well done, however… but that job isn’t done yet, is it?” A sneer crosses his face as he stares holes into Chloe.

Chole wet her mouth to try to speak again. She gazed toward Frank, who suddenly seemed a lot more trustworthy given the alternative, “W-What’s he doing here?”

“Whaddaya’ think?” Frank asked, anger tingeing his voice, “We ain’t dealing with a couple of dime bags anymore, Chloe. Where’s the money?”

She took a deep breath, “I'm going to give it to you, I promise, I just really need some answers first.”

“The man already told you no,” Damon spat at her, “Are you going to be a good girly and listen to him, or are you gonna make shit difficult?”

Chloe stumbled over what to say, but Damon didn't give her a chance to answer, instead grabbing her chin tightly and lifting up, exposing her throat and forcing her gaze. “Where. Is. My. Money?”

Two pairs of hands reached around either side of her and shoved the threatening man to the ground. Max and Rachel came into view, one on each side, looking defiant and protective. “Don't touch her.” they both said in perfect unison.

Damon growled and planted a hand on the ground, the other reaching around to his waistband, “Why is it, that girls always think it's okay to hit me, but as soon as I put a _finger_ on them, it's a whole ‘nother thing?” A cold, hard blade appeared from behind his back, pointed straight at the girls, causing them all to step back as the man began to slice it through the air slowly.

“D-Damon! Calm down!” Frank called out, still slurring his words, “There's nos need for this, we can--”

“Don't you tell me what I fucking need!” He span around to face Frank, the newest object of his ire, aiming the blunt side of the weapon at his chest. “You shipped out your job to this girl, and if I want, I will hold you responsible for--”

His threat was cut short by a wooden board that connected with his shoulder, forcing him to the ground once more with a loud _thunk!_ Rachel appeared at the other end of it, looking enraged and immediately kicking at the man's downed body. Everything went into chaos form there.

The dagger fell and embedded itself in the dirt, handle up. Damon caught Rachel’s next kick, catching her boot in his hands and sweeping her legs out from under her, sending her tumbling. Chloe just watched as the knife stood there, feeling paralyzed as Damon reached for it.

Max rushed forward. Max grabbed the handle at the same time as Damon. Max struggled with Damon over the blade, trying to wrestle it away from him.

Chloe watched as Damon knocked the wind out of Max with a blow to the gut.

Chloe watched as Damon stuck the dagger into Max’s chest, sliding it effortlessly between her ribs.

Chloe watched, and heard herself scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *"Burn it Down" plays*  
> Promise I’ll be faster with the next chapter. Love you all and thanks for the support.


End file.
